Friday Favorites

Happy Friday to you.  🙂  This week has been crazy with not much time to relax, but I did get to squeeze in some Downton Abbey episodes and some wonderful quality time with my husband.  Between meetings, client appointments, and social media, Friday has arrived quicker than ever.  There is no sign of things slowing down next week, either, so I will continue to pop in when I can and bring you all the inspiration I can find.  I am quite active on Pinterest these days, so you can usually find me there any given day of the week.  I try to pin all sorts of different things — from recipes, to fashion, and even kiddo things — and, of course, plenty of interior design.

This weekend brings plenty of work, time spent with my family, and hopefully some more Downton.  🙂

I’m bringing you an edition of Friday’s Favorites this week that is strictly makeup-based.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that occasionally I will be producing these round-ups and I do hope that you enjoy them.

{1} Shea Terra Organics – Rose Hips Black Soap

This soap is completely incredible.  I received it in my Birchbox a while back and was experiencing some really awful breakouts on my face.  It seemed as though nothing could cure the cystic-like acne that was popping up all over, but this stuff changed everything.  It is both a mask and a face wash, and after rinsing your face of it, it’s amazing how utterly clean your skin will feel.  Literally squeaky clean, I’m not even kidding.  Using this soap and the Clarisonic that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago I have pretty much cleared up my skin entirely.  It’s crazy!

{2} Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Accessoire

Having never tried a Chanel nail color before, I was so excited to receive this polish in my stocking on Christmas morning.  The color is a deep red with a hint of brown…the perfect hue for this time of the year.  Using the top coat that you’ll read more about below, I can get a weeks’ wear with this polish.  The quality of the polish in both the way that it applies evenly to the nail and the design of the brush itself is not even comparable to any other polishes that I have tried.  It’s simply the best!

{3} Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze

That is basically the longest title ever for what I like to call Perfection in a Jar.  First, let’s discuss the packaging.  It’s a heavy glass jar that feels expensive and heavy-duty, filled to the brim with gorgeous, creamy amazingness.  The color is wonderfully layerable, and I love that on days when I am feeling rushed, a couple swipes of this eyeshadow with my ring finger and a few coats of mascara is all my eyes need before I walk out the door.  It’s very easy to apply, easy to blend away if you make a mistake, and — bonus — it doesn’t crease.  At.  All.  Now, I use an eyeshadow primer which may have something to do with that, but honestly, I am in love.  With an eyeshadow.  Sad but true.

{4} L’Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Primer

This is a great primer.  I’m not 100% set on using this primer “forever” and I’m sure in the summer months I may have to switch to something a little bit heavier since makeup literally melts off my face that time of the year.  But still, I like this.  One pump is all I need, and my face feels so soft with such an even tone after I put it on.  My makeup applies better, and stays until I take it off at night — in other words, it does what I want a primer to do for me.  But I’m sure that my success with it comes along with the other products that I use to take care of my skin, also.

{5} CND Speedy Top Coat

Hands down the best top coat I have ever tried — I swear by it.  It doesn’t even matter the quality of nail polish that I use underneath this top coat, I get a weeks’ wear.  The finish is gorgeously glossy, and it dries within twenty minutes.  Not like the kind of dry where it’s still easy to knick it, though — truly and thoroughly dry.  I don’t know how, but I am obsessed.

{6} Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

A completely gorgeous palette — and while I’m sure it’s different for everyone, these shadows look best on me when I am wearing a black top or dress.  I am so impressed with these Urban Decay palettes, as I now have 1, 2, and 3 — I find myself wondering what I’ve been missing all this time with shadows that have absolutely no pigment and lose their color by noon.  I cannot recommend these shadows enough!

{7} L’Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Lumi Highlighter

Much like the Lumi primer, I am enjoying trying this product.  I think it’s great, it applies to my face in a smooth way, it’s layerable without being cakey, and it’s as light as can be.  I think this is definitely my favorite drugstore or budget concealer I have ever tried.  But will I eventually want to give something else a go?  Sure.  However, in the meantime, it’s doing its job and I am a fan.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend filled with warmth and time with your loved ones.  I will try to pop in a time or two to say hello, but in the meantime, enjoy your Friday evening.  🙂

*None of these companies have any idea who I am.  I just love their products and wanted to share them with you!*

Friday Favorites

Well, we’ve made it to Friday.  I don’t know about you, but for me this week has flown by.  In just a short amount of time, we will be in the middle of the month and we’ll be wondering how time seems to pass so quickly.  I love this part of the year so much, the beginning — there seems to be a promise in the air of so much to come, much like I feel there is at the end of September when Fall is on the horizon.  I love these seasonal changes so much, and I revel in them and try to enjoy them as much as I can.  My husband and I are fortunate enough to live in a part of the country that is incredibly mild (with the exception of the intensely hot summers), but for all of you who have been braving the freezing (and below-freezing) temperatures, I’m sending a warm hug your way.

Occasionally on Fridays, I will be sharing some of my favorite products with you.  I don’t shop a ton, which is why these posts will be somewhat scattered about, but when I amass a loot that I feel is worthy of a post, I will do so.  Here are this week’s favorites:

{1} Coach Classic Ramblers Legacy Flap in Leather

I purchased this bag a few weeks ago after returning a pair of boots (a Christmas gift) that did not fit quite right.  I love this bag so much — I can wear it as a crossbody when I’m going for a casual sort of look, or with the adjustable strap, I can shorten it so that it is a lovely shoulder bag that can look a little bit fancier.  Very versatile handbag.

{2} Clarisonic Mia 2

This has seriously changed my skin…for the better.  I no longer have scratchy dry patches or daily breakouts.  I use the Clarisonic every night before bed and although some residual (re: before Clarisonic Mia) blemishes are still healing, I have yet to garner a new spot anywhere on my face.  This makes me happy.  🙂  My face has never felt cleaner or softer, and there was one night that I didn’t use it and I swear my skin didn’t have as much of a glow to it the next day.  This has become the single most important part of my beauty routine.  Game-changer.

{3} Paddywax Salted Grapefruit Scented Candle

I am a total Paddywax convert — obsessed is putting it mildly.  I don’t know that I will ever buy another candle (except for a Diptyque, someday; and this candle that I am eyeing at Target…yeah…).  I guess you could say that I am a candle freak.  And a candle snob.  But I received a Paddywax candle from my in-law’s this Christmas (which also made my Favorites list) and burned through it so fast.  Not because it is a quick-burner, though, but because I was burning it all. the. time.  And now this salted grapefruit scent is consistently wafting through our apartment, and I am in love.

{4} Naked 2 Palette

So, I have all three Naked Palettes, let me start by saying that.  1 and 2 are both my favorites for different reasons, and number 3 I haven’t tried yet because I just got it in the mail a couple of days ago.  I have never been one to spend money on eyeshadow or even wear eyeshadow at all until recently, but with all the beauty blogs out there raving about the Naked Palettes, I thought I would give them a try.  Best decision ever.  I’m serious.  I know that I am late getting on this train and I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know or haven’t heard…but I want to shout it from the rooftops how much I love these palettes.

{5} Copper Finish Tray

I picked up this tray the other day at Target and I love it.  We are in the midst of coming up with a redecorating plan (going more traditional), and I want copper accents throughout.  This was the first “new direction” purchase that I made, and it felt good!  We are using this tray in our bathroom on top of the toilet for a couple of extra rolls of toilet paper and a yummy candle (that is not a Paddywax).  It fits nicely and looks substantial.

{6} Paddywax Ocean Tide & Sea Salt Candle

This is the other Paddywax candle that was a gift and that I simultaneously fell in love with.  The scent is just so incredibly…clean.  It’s really the best smell, and after we put away the Christmas decor and decluttered the entire apartment, this was the perfect candle to burn.  Plus, it comes in a gorgeous, heavy blue-glass jar that I just love.  I’m a sucker for pretty packaging.

{7} Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

I picked up a couple of tubes of this lipstick at Ulta the other day and I really am liking them so far.  With the pigment of a lipstick and the feeling of a balm, I am enjoying wearing these colors.  Very layerable, too, which is key for me since I am the Queen of Reapplying.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, whatever you may be doing.  I will be doing a little bit of work, dreaming up our redesign in my head, and spending some quality time with my hubby.  I will most likely be checking in with a couple of posts, but in the meantime, here’s wishing you a weekend full of lounging, relaxation, and agreeable weather.  xo

*None of these companies have any idea who I am.  I just love their products and wanted to share them with you!*